Loving Lupin

    Exams began on a surprisingly warm day at Hogwarts. Having regained her senses several days before her first O.W.L. (which happened to be Potions), she had gone into a studying fervor, compromising sleep and mealtime to cram every bit of information she could into her brain. Even for Hermione Granger, her studying habits were a little, to put it lightly, insane.

    "Hermione, come off it, will you?" Ron had remarked quietly after Hermione had just gone on a 15 minute rant about what an idiot she was for not studying.

    "Oh, but I'm going to fail," Hermione moaned, clutching an Advanced Potions book in her little hands.

    On the day of the exam, Ron and Harry were inclined to rather amble down to the dungeons for their O.W.L. After all, Potions was something that was never worth rushing for. Hermione, however, had practically dragged them down the corridors to Potions at least 15 minutes early, and even then, she was nervous.

    "Wait, a Mind-Sharpening Potion requires four bat ears, right? Or is that for a Danger-Awareness Potion? Oh, oh!" She wrung her hands together, her forehead crinkling with worry. "I can't believe I didn't study, I just really can't believe it..."

    "Shut up, Hermione," hissed Ron as the examiners entered the room.

    Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, the examiners held up their hands for silence. Most of them looked bored, as if they couldn't care less about how to make a Mind-Sharpening Potion. However, one of the younger examiners, a woman, was eager and bright-eyed, and was already surveying the dungeons with excitement. For a moment, Hermione almost wanted to explain to her that nothing more exciting than Neville's cauldron melting for the fifth time that week occurred in the dungeon. She kept her mouth shut, though.

    "Good day, students. For your exam today, we ask that you make an Aging Potion. Please do not speak to any of the other students during the exam. You have 30 minutes. All the ingredients you will need are in the student stores. Please begin now."

    "You certainly know plenty about that Aging Potion, don't you, Granger?" whispered Malfoy scathingly.

    "Shut up, Malfoy," muttered Hermione grimly.

    "I bet you're wondering how your animal lover is doing, huh?" continued Malfoy in a low voice.

    Hermione hesitated for a moment, then breathed deeply. He knows nothing, she convinced herself. He's just baiting you. Don't pay him any heed...

    "My father's heard plenty about him, you know, through the Ministry and all. Wouldn't you fancy some news, Granger?" snickered Malfoy under his breath.

    "For the last time, shut up!"

    Hermione gave herself a little shake and looked up from her cauldron. All the rest of the students were already ransacking the student stores, gathering ingredients for their potion. Shouldn't she be doing the same? She only had 30 minutes, after all... Probably more like 25, by the time she finished gathering all the necessary ingredients... But somehow, she was paralyzed, stymied by Draco's hot breath in her ear...

    "You want to know, don't you, Granger?" he breathed. "I know you do."

    She didn't speak. He's baiting you! part of her was crying. He doesn't know anything!

    But the fact that there was that remote possibility, that slight chance that Draco Malfoy might know something about Remus Lupin was enough to freeze her on her stool. What if he really did know something? What if...

    "I heard he's in huge trouble with the Ministry," whispered Malfoy carelessly, as if he did not realize the impact of the words he was feeding into Hermione Granger's ears. "He's attacked two other people since you, and werewolf hunters were after him for the past two weeks... He's all right now though, he was shot down last night, I heard." He paused. "It's in the Daily Prophet. I mean, I thought you were smart, Granger... Don't you read the paper?" he added maliciously.

    Hermione leapt from her stool, her face fiery.

    "You're lying," she mumbled.

    "I wish I was," sighed Malfoy, as if he actually was concerned for Lupin's well-being.

    Hermione suddenly felt as if her breath had been snatched out of her throat. The more sensible part of her knew that this was just a trick, something to make her act foolishly. But for not the first time that year, her dizzier, romantic side began to swamp her sensibility. She felt sick to her stomach, and there was no way she could stay in the dungeons one second longer.

    "Excuse me... Excuse me?" Hermione raised a quavering hand into the air.

    "Yes, miss?" The young, bright-eyed woman threw Hermione a questioning stare.

    "I really... I really... I don't feel well. I think I'm going to be ill."

    The woman raised her eyebrow suspiciously. Hermione was sure that the woman was wondering to herself if Hermione was simply feigning illness to get out of the exam. However, something seemed to click with the woman-- perhaps she had seen Hermione poring over her Potions books before entering the classroom. Either way, she finally nodded and said, "You're excused. Perhaps you should go see the nurse."

    "Yes, I will."

    Without warning, Hermione burst into tears, fleeing from the classroom. Harry and Ron watched her run from the room in shock. Surely this behavior was not all to be attributed to a sudden illness? They were both inclined to chase after her, but thought it might seem a bit fishy if they both became ill as well. Both boys performed their exams with an uneasy feeling in their gut. Indeed, their disconcertion was visible in their potion results. Ron's potion was a bit too watery, and Harry's was not quite the precise color of green he had been hoping for. Still, their O.W.L. seemed quite insignificant now that their best friend seemed suddenly plagued by some terrible emotional affliction.

    "Hurry up," muttered Harry, once Ron'd had his potion inspected by one of the examiners. "Something's got to be really wrong, if she'd run out on an O.W.L. like that..."

    "Yeah, you're probably right," whispered Ron, turning a ghastly white beneath his freckles.

    The two boys scurried back to the Gryffindor common room, hoping that she had taken refuge in her dormitory. When the time came to enter the girl's dormitory, they both glanced at each other uneasily.

    "I'll go," Harry said finally, after a long silence.

    "No, I should." Ron looked queasy, but determined.

    "You sure?"

    "Yes."

    Ron breathed deeply and took his first trembling step up to the girl's dormitory. However, he had barely stepped upon the first stone when someone came rushing past him, clutching a book bag that was near bursting, but not with books. As the figure crashed into Ron, her bag went flying, and Ron was knocked up against the stone wall.

    "Ouch!" he yelled, rubbing the back of his head where the stone had hit. "Watch where you're going, you--"

    Ron became very quiet, and for a good reason. The person who had been trying to rush past him was no other than Hermione Granger. Tears were silently flowing down her rosy cheeks as she knelt and began to reassemble the contents of her bag. Harry was horrified to see that her bag didn't contain books or quills, as it should, but various items of clothing.

    "Going somewhere?" Ron asked coolly.

    Hermione avoided his glare and replied, "Yes, actually, I am."

    "May I ask where?" he continued. It was obvious he was struggling to keep his voice calm, but there was an edginess in his tone that was quite noticeable.

    "Remus-- Professor Lupin-- is in trouble. I have to go to him." Hermione picked up the last shirt-- a sweater that had a "S.P.E.W." patch emblazoned on it.

    "No!" yelled Ron, dropping to his knees and grabbing her wrist.

    Hermione looked as if she would drop the sweater, but instead, she continued to pack as if she hadn't noticed Ron's interference. There was nothing that could stop her, now that she was sure that her professor was in trouble.

    "Hermione, you can't just... leave. There's... O.W.L.s... and..." Harry broke off, unable to think of any other words to persuade her to stay. Finally, he said stupidly, "You just can't."

    "I'm sorry," Hermione whimpered, before taking off faster than Ron and Harry had ever seen her run.

    "C'mon!" snarled Ron. Harry had never seen him more angry and upset at the same time.

    Both the boys took off at a sprint, but to no avail. Hermione either was hiding somewhere, or she was much faster than they'd anticipated. After checking in several empty classrooms and exploring some less-traversed corridors, they were at the point of giving up. Ron was bent over, panting, and Harry was leaning up against the cold stone wall of the corridor leading to the dungeon stairs.

    "She's insane," sputtered Ron. "Bloody insane."

    Harry didn't reply. He was too badly shaken by the past hour's events to speak.

    "What're we going to do?" whispered Ron, voicing the fears that Harry was enclosing inside his head.

    "Ron, I..."

    "Mr. Potter? Mr. Veasley?"

    "Great," muttered Ron. "Just what we... Hello, Professor." He raised his brown eyes dully to Professor Zochnik, who had seeming appeared out of no where.

    "Is there a problem?"

    Harry and Ron glanced at each other without speaking. They were reluctant to rat out their best friend, but they were both feeling so helpless, that a professor's aid would be a blessing. Still...

    "Is it Hermione?"

    Ron nodded, while Harry wiped his brow with a shaking hand. Professor Zochnik's face darkened, but she did not look at all daunted.

    "I vill find her."

    "But Professor, we've been searching for the last hour, and we--" Ron began to protest, but he fell silent at Zochnik's wave of her hand. He noticed that there was something small and glittery between her long, thin fingers.

    "She is in the Shrieking Shack," Professor Zochnik announced. "Let us go."

    "Professor, how--" Harry's mouth hung open in amazement.

    "I haff been keeping a close eye on your friend since Remus has left. Under his request, of course." Professor Zochnik beckoned for them to follow her, and the trio began to stride briskly down the hall. "That ring your friend vears is no ordinary ring-- It is a tracking device placed on Miss Granger for a specific purpose. Remus did vorry much about his Hermione venn he was to leaving."

    "So you do know about them," Harry said softly.

    "Of course, Mr. Potter," replied Zochnik briskly. "Remus Lupin specifically requested that I come take his spot as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

    "You know each other?" Ron exclaimed, astonished.

    "Yes. Ve met von lovely summer venn I was near fifteen," she replied, glancing down at the sparkling item in her hand. Harry noticed that it was a bracelet, with sparking jewels between each link. There was lettering on each of the jewels, which right now read, "Shreiking Shack". "He vas vith his family, seeking treatment in my country for his... condition." She paused as if pondering something heavily, then continued. "He alvays had this bracelet and ring so that his family, and later on, Dumbledore, could alvays find him in case he ran off any nights during the full moon." She smiled sadly at the pair. "Your professor loffs Miss Granger very much."

    "And she him," Harry mumbled. "She thinks he's in trouble. That's why she's run off."

    "Trouble?" Zochnik looked mildly surprised. "He is in no trouble. I would haff heard if he were. I haff been keeping a close on the Daily Prophet for any verevolf outbreaks, and there haff been none."

    "Well, somebody told her so," said Ron grouchily.

    Professor Zochnik merely shrugged, leading them out onto the Hogwarts grounds. She halted several feet in front of the Whomping Willow, giving them both a warning glace.

    "We mustn't be seen going into the Shreiking Shack," she warned. "Come, I vill Disillusion you both."

    "You'll what?" Ron began, but he was cut off by Professor Zochnik uttering an incantation. He realized with shock that his body had suddenly changed somehow... At first, it looked like it simply wasn't there, but then he realized, it had changed to blend with the ground, chamelon-like. As he glanced over at Harry, it took him several seconds to find his friend, who was also disguised against the ground.

    "Los geht's," came Professor Zochnik's disembodied voice. "Down into the Shrieking Shack ve go."